Two men convicted of setting fire to a North Philadelphia pizza shop in 2022, ultimately leading to the death of a Philadelphia firefighter, will each spend decades in prison, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.
Al-Ashraf Khalil was sentenced to 40 years and Isaam Jaghama was sentenced to 25 years in prison in connection with the June 18, 2022, fire at Star Pizza Fish and Chicken, in a building Khalil owned at 3rd Street and Indiana Avenue in the city’s Fairhill neighborhood.
The two were found guilty in November 2024, after a jury trial where federal prosecutors argued Khalil and Jaghama set the fire so Khalil could claim insurance money.
The fire broke out around 2 a.m. on June 18, 2022. The building collapsed on Philadelphia fire Lt. Sean Williamson and five other first responders inside, killing Williamson.
Khalil faced a mandatory minimum sentence of 17 years in prison, with the possibility of a life sentence. Jaghama faced seven years minimum with a possibility of a life sentence.
“This fire wasn’t an accident or act of God,” former U.S. Attorney Jacqueline Romero said in a statement after the men were convicted in November. “But for these defendants, it never would have started, the building would still stand, and Lt. Williamson would still be with his family — a wholly preventable tragedy, sparked by greed.”
Williamson, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, spent 27 years with the Philadelphia Fire Department. His last assignment was with Ladder 18 in the Hunting Park section of the city.